What Happens Now
by sassygayowen
Summary: 4 years after 10x12. Owen is a single parent living an unconventional life. Little does he know, his unconventional life is about to be turned even more upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One – Where do we go from here?**

4 years. That's how long it had been since Cristina had even set foot in Seattle. 4 years ago she left Seattle and more importantly, Owen and Meredith. They both had pleaded with her to stay but ultimately, she left anyway. They knew that it perhaps, might have been a good idea after all. Maybe the separation was a good thing. Maybe. Needless to say, she was back in Seattle and moving into a new apartment. She'd been called by Seattle Pres for a special case and she couldn't say no. Cristina Yang, Harper Avery winner. She lugged her stuff into the large apartment and sighed, running a hand through her hair and sighing. Cristina considered visiting Seattle Grace to see her former friends but there was also the possibility of running into their Chief of Surgery which she was not keen on seeing. As it turned out, even after 4 years of being away plus a year of separation, she wasn't over him and doubted she ever would be.

Cristina unpacked some of the essentials, ie the coffee maker and her bedding. She dug in a box and grabbed a mug for the morning.

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Owen had made a go of it with Emma. It had seemed like a blessing to find this woman who had gone through similar things like he had but in the end, it wasn't. When Owen found out that she was pregnant after a year and a half of dating, he'd been elated. Finally he was able to obtain the little family he had so desperately wished for and Emma was happy to do it. He loved her and his next plan was to be the best father he could be and maybe, one day, the best husband. She'd had their daughter, Lily a month early which was a slight cause for alarm but ultimately, Lily was a tough little thing. Owen was madly in love with her the moment she had been born and his entire world was about this little tiny person. Somehow, 6 months into her little life, Emma spoke up.

_Flashback_

"_Owen...Owen we need to talk." Emma said, approaching him as he sat there at in front of Lily's highchair, bright pink plastic spoon in hand, carrot mushed onto it. Owen looked up and smiled a little. "What's going on?" He asked her, quickly feeding Lily the bit of carrot before going in for more. Emma sighed heavily unsure of how to word what she was about to tell her boyfriend but she just had to. "The thing is...I realized that...well we wanted different things. I never wanted this. I wanted us together of course. We had fun but then..." Emma looks down at Lily. "I never wanted her. I thought I did and I've realized this is too much for me. I just can't do this anymore and I know you're going to hate me for this but I can't stay in this relationship and be miserable for the rest of my life." While Owen had tried to reason with her, picking Lily Bean up and setting her in her play pen, she wouldn't back down. Owen followed her around the house, telling her she was making a huge mistake and maybe she was going through some depression._

_Nope. It was so much more than that which ended in Owen standing in the house without her. Owen didn't know what to do. He paced the house, restless energy, wondering where to begin and how to do it. What now? Should he try to convince her to come back? Owen wasn't entirely sure but one thing he was sure about was, he needed help. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up his phone, dialling a familiar number. "Owen?" The voice said over the phone. "It's late. I just put the kids to sleep." "I know Mer but well..." Owen wasn't entirely sure how to go about telling her this but he knew she'd understand. "Emma left me. She told me that she couldn't deal with being a parent and that she didn't want the baby! I told her to stay for Lily or stay for me but she wouldn't do it! How does someone just do that?" Owen practically yelled into the phone, unaware of just how angry he was. "Shit...And I know how people do it Owen. I'd tell you to ask my mother but she's dead." Owen just about laughed. A small smile spread across his face regardless. "True. I guess I just didn't think that it would happen to me." _

_Of course no one thinks that would happen to them but it had. Owen was now a single parent and one of the saving graces was that he still had 6 months of paternity leave left. He could at least figure out a routine for her and hopefully work out how to be Chief of Surgery and a good and functional parent. _

_The first month of being single, Lily cried for her Mum. Owen felt helpless as his daughter cried and he was unable to sooth her. He basically waited until she got too tired to cry anymore. Owen tried, of course but most often, she had to stop on her own. The second month got better. By the 4th month, she only cried for him. It was a hard thing to work through but he felt confident again or at least as confident as he could be. By the end of the year, Owen was ready to go back to work. Separation anxiety was evident in the pair but that didn't stop him from visiting her in the day care on a constant basis._

_On the plus side of this whole thing, Owen had become close with Meredith. Losing Cristina had brought them together, pushing aside any differences they had. It was nice for Owen to have someone there. He was close with Callie but she was currently focusing on being a parent with Arizona, working through their issues and taking Sofia to Disneyland and other trips. _

_By Lily's second birthday, even more had changed. Meredith and Derek were separated. It seemed impossible that the couple that had gotten through everything had separated over something so trivial as a job offer. Derek had been offered a major position in Washington and had ultimately accepted it. Now they hadn't divorced but he would be away for several years and it was basically as though they were. He would fly back and forth if he could. She was basically a single parent as well. So when Owen found an amazing apartment with lots of space, he mentioned it to Meredith. She had dutifully accepted, saying that she couldn't say in the damn dream house any longer. _

_The pair started to live together and it seemed to work nicely. They could both watch each others kids and live a platonic life. _

**Present**

"So I hope you're cooking tonight because I cooked last night and that basically used up my quota for the week." Meredith said, hugged her son Bailey after he'd given her a picture he'd drawn. "Wow! This is amazing! I'm going to put it on the fridge immediately." Owen laughed. "I am. Don't worry. I bought some chicken for us." He turned his attention to his daughter who was staring up at him with identical blue eyes. "You want some juice Lily Bean?" "Yesss peeese." She said with a grin. Owen grinned back down at her and grabbed a juice box from the fridge for her. "Daddy's going to make supper now so make sure you're good for Auntie Mer if I'm not in the room okay?" She nodded her little head and went into the living room to see what Zola was up to.

Owen made them supper while the kids helped set the table.

"What do you want Derek?" Meredith hissed into the phone. "You haven't been in Seattle in 4 months! Skyping with the kids doesn't count you know? I know you're busy and that you're sorry but this is getting ridiculous." She rolled her eyes as he rattled off an excuse before she finally hung up. "Ridiculous! That...man." Meredith said with a scowl on her face. She poured herself some wine and took a sip. "Oh I'm aware drinking around children is bad form but deal with it Hunt." Owen just smirked, not commenting. His smirk was enough to get him hit. Owen just laughed and told her to sit.

They ate cheerfully, being regaled by stories from Zola about school and Bailey about day care. Lily babbled away grinning as she often did. Eventually they finished and cleaned up the mess or rather Owen cleaned up the mess while Meredith watched the kids. She wasn't much of a cleaner and he was okay with that as long as the apartment didn't turn uninhabitable. Meredith hit him for that for even considering that she would let it get that bad. They played with the kids and eventually put them to bed. "Why haven't we slept together?" Meredith asked suddenly. "I mean we both have slept with inappropriate people multiple times and why haven't we?" Owen raised his eyebrows at her question. "Because we hated each others guts for the greater part of our relationship plus you were with Derek and you're pretty much my sister now." He replied, holding up a finger to make a point. "Well damn it Owen. I haven't been laid in MONTHS. MONTHS!" He considered this. Of course this was entirely a bad idea. She wasn't divorced and Owen was, how did she put it? Scary and damaged.

They looked at each other. Owen leaned forward and kissed her gently. While it was nice to kiss her, he felt nothing. It was clear she did as well as she swore. "Damn it." She said, frowning and folding her arms. "I'm never getting laid." "How do you think I feel?" Owen countered, raising his eyebrows. "What about...that girl in Radiology?" Meredith asked, getting up and pouring the both of them some wine. She came back to the couch and sat down again. "Oh she was way too young for me. Also, she was unaware I had a child. Needless to say, that was the end of that."

Owen was not having luck with relationships and he knew it. He felt like he'd never be happy again, at least in love. Everyone left him and that was the way it was. Owen felt like he fell too hard for the wrong women and it was like a curse for him. Meredith felt bad for her friend and wished that it hadn't come to this. Alas, it had and now Owen had decided to just focus on being a parent.

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Cristina sighed as she flipped through every channel on the television. Nothing. Netflix time. She would likely find a show and watch an entire season all night long. Typical behaviour but she didn't have to be at work until 1. She figured that it was perfectly okay. Cristina picked up her phone, staring at it, wondering if texting Meredith was a good idea. She hadn't spoken to the blond in a while and wondered if the number was still the same. Cristina typed up the small little text and nearly sent it before finally saving it to her drafts.

Eventually she fell asleep. However long later, she awoke with as start as music from next door jolted her awake. Cristina practically growled before getting up and running a hand through her long, curly hair. She made sure she was dressed and got up. Her apartment was dark as she had closed all the curtains and blinds to keep the light out. Cristina practically stomped into the hallway and knocked on the door.

_'Cause you're everywhere to me  
And when I close my eyes it's you I see  
You're everything I know  
That makes me believe  
I'm not alone  
I'm not alone_

She waited a moment before the music got turned down a bit and the door opened. Cristina nearly had a heart attack as she saw her ex-husband standing there with a small child.

Lyrics are Everywhere by Michelle Branch.

Hope you liked my story my babies. It's been a while.


	2. Chapter 2 Walking Away I'll Stand By You

A/n: Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! It's good fuel.

Chapter Two – Walking Away/ I'll Stand By You

Owen stared at her as she stared at him. "Your...music is too loud." Cristina finally said awkwardly, shifting her feet. "It's noon." He replied, slightly amused by her mussed hair, knowing full well she'd been sleeping. "Yeah..well..I was...up late." "Well I'm sorry. Lily and I were making lunch." Owen replied, looking down at his daughter who was clinging to his leg. She peered from behind her father's leg at the stranger before hiding her face again. Cristina looked down at the small little girl and smiled despite her tiredness. She had identical blue eyes to her father and the same strawberry blond hair. "This is Lily. Lily this is Cristina. She's an old friend of Daddy's." Owen said, looking down at her again before looking back up at Cristina. Lily didn't make much of a peep but waved her little hand.

It was a shock to see Owen with a child but she never doubted for a second that he wouldn't get what he had always wanted. Cristina had wanted that for Owen from the moment he confessed he wanted a family. Sure she hadn't been willing but she felt like Owen should have everything. That was how their relationship had been. Owen always wanted to give Cristina everything she had ever wanted and Cristina had always tried to reciprocate until she couldn't anymore. "Hey Lily." Cristina said with a smile on her face. She waved back at the small girl and looked back at Owen. He smiled at her. "Oh, congrats on the Harper Avery by the way." Owen said grinning. "I hope you got that email I sent." Cristina nodded. "Likewise Owen. That new trauma technique you developed saved a lot of lives." The pair couldn't help but grin like idiots around each other. Neither of them knew why but it certainly felt better than being awkward or angry.

"Owen! What the hell?! Why didn't you tell me that body wash smelled like crap? You just had to let me use it didn't you? I knew that look on your face the other day was suspicious!" Meredith said as she stomped out of the bathroom, clad in her towel. She stopped in mid rant and step as she spotted a familiar face standing at the door. "Cristina?!" Meredith exclaimed. She ran towards the raven haired woman and hugged her, carefully holding her towel. "Oh my god! I'm so happy you're here!" Cristina hugged her awkwardly back. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to see Mer because she was but the towel thing was a bit unnerving. "And holy...crap, why haven't you called me or texted me? I know you're busy being important but I'm more important than that."

Cristina took in the scene. Owen and Meredith were living together? What exactly did this mean? Was McDreamy out of the picture? Was her former husband now having babies with Meredith? She bit her lip. "Are you...guys..." She began tentatively, not really liking the idea. A pang of jealousy perhaps? Meredith and Owen both laughed. "God no." He replied, laughing a little. "Hey!" Meredith pipped up, hitting Owen's arm. "It's not that Mer but you're more of sister type." Meredith rolled her eyes but agreed. "No. Derek's off in Washington because apparently that's more important than spending time with his freaking family. Okay, I'm getting dressed and then we are talking." Meredith said, holding up a finger. Owen invited her in and got her a drink. She hurried away and several minutes later, came back with some sweats and a tank top, her hair still wrapped up in a towel. Owen had given Lily her lunch and she was busily eating it at the table all the while, occasionally staring back at this stranger in her house. Ever the curious toddler.

"Where are Zola and Bailey?" Cristina asked, idly sipping the coffee Owen had given her. She glanced around the apartment, looking at the various shelves of books and decorating things that both Owen and Mer had done. There were even pictures with the both of them in it. If she didn't believe what Owen and Mer had said, she would have thought they were together. Cristina supposed they wouldn't make a bad couple but she couldn't really stand the idea of Owen with another woman. Seeing him with Emma those years ago had been hard which was the main reason she had left in the first place. "Oh they're at a play date with Sofia and Gabby." Meredith replied, grabbing herself her own cup of coffee. "Callie and Arizona had another baby by the way. That's Gabby. She's adorable." Owen smiled. "She is." "So what's new with you guys? It's been a while..." Cristina started, wondering if she really wanted to know. It was clear that somethings had changed significantly especially considering they were both living together. "Well..." Owen began, not sure as to where to start or how personal to get. "I was with Emma for a little while and we had Lily Bean. It didn't work out and now it's just her and I. I'm still Chief at Grey-Sloan Memorial. It's been a little hard but it's good." Cristina nodded. It didn't work out with Emma...She couldn't figure out just how pleased she should be. On the one hand, it did please her a great deal to find out that Emma was out of the picture but on the other hand knowing that Emma had left the both of them alone was angering to say the least.

Lily trotted over to them when she was done her food and walked over to Owen, holding her arms up. Owen picked her up and set her on his lap. "Derek got that job offer, we fought and now he's in Washington. At least I'm Head of General Surgery now. Bailey and Ben headed to LA. What about you?" Meredith asked her. Sure she knew about her recent Harper Avery win but that was about it. "Uhh..as you know I left for Boston. Just been busy is all. A lot of work." What else should she say? She's been basically working her butt off and that's it? Who needed a social life when you had surgery? At least that's what Cristina kept telling herself. She's made the odd friend here and there but she practically drowned in her work. Coming back here, however, made her feel more at home. "Oh shit...I mean shoot." Cristina said looking at her watch. "It's been great. It has but I really have to go. I've got a consult at Seattle Pres. Maybe we'll see each other again soon." She said rushing over to the door and putting her shoes back on. "Definitely." Meredith called from the couch, getting up for a moment and walking towards Cristina. She hugged her before watching her leave. Once the door closed, she turned towards Owen.

"OH MY GOD OWEN." Meredith said, her eyes wide. She pressed her back on the door and threw her arms in the air. Meredith stood there for a minute or two silent before speaking again. "Oh my god Owen maybe..." "No Meredith. Don't even go there." Owen replied in protest. "You don't even know what I was going to say." She countered, narrowing her eyes at him. "I do. I know what you're going to say and I know what everyone else is going to say when they find out but that's history. I can't do that again." "Dooo wad Dadda?" Lily Bean asked, tilting her little head to the side. "Oh ahhh...Daddy's just talking about work." "Oooh." She continued to sit in his lap and idly watch the tv.

Owen had a deep set frown on his face. It took no time at all for Meredith to comment. "Are you having some sort of crisis?" She asked, frowning a bit, her hands getting in on the conversation. He looked up at her. "Why? Why would you say that?" Owen asked, slightly annoyed that she had figured it out so well and partly because he was annoyed at himself. He was in a bit of state seeing her again after all these years. As it turned out, even now, she still effected him and would likely continue to do so. Meredith raised her eyebrows at him. "Okay..." Owen finally surrendered, sighing. "I just never thought I'd see her again and she's here and...clearly I will never get over her. Ever. I hate that. You know..." He stopped mid sentence knowing his daughter was yawning like crazy. "Hold that thought." Owen said before scooping her into his arms and carrying her to her bed. He came back a minute later and sat back down. "How sad is that though? I am still pining after a woman who broke up with me 5 years ago! That year that we spent apart while she still worked at the hospital was awful and now, she's back and she's living next door!" Owen put his head in his hands in frustration and defeat. His heart was annoying.

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Cristina walked briskly up the hallway of Seattle Pres and into the elevator. She rode it two floors before finally stopping and heading down the hallway again and stopping at a nurses station. "Ah Dr Cristina Yang." The older man said with a genuine smile. "I'm Dr Roberts. You'll be working with me on this case." He handed her the chart and started to walk with her to the patient room. She smiled back at him and read over the chart. Cristina met with the patient and did an exam. It was clear to her that they had a lot of work ahead of them and she may as well try to get her footing in this new hospital. While on break, Cristina headed to the cafeteria to grab some food, figuring that now was a good a time as any. She got in line and grabbed a sandwich, some soup and some iced tea. Cristina made a note to figure out where their coffee carts were afterwards. As she found a seat and sat down, she idly looked around the crowd of people. This was a different world, different hospital. Cristina had never been here before and she felt entirely out of place. Hopefully this would be temporary of course and she could either head back to Boston or...well, maybe start work somewhere else. Would she stay in Seattle? A decision she wasn't ready to make nor one that she had to right away. Cristina sighed.

"Dr Yang?" A vaguely familiar voice said. Cristina looked up and her eyes met the person. It literally took everything in her not to practically burn holes in the other woman. "Ah Dr Marling. Yes. How are you?" She asked, not really caring. _Breaking anyone's heart lately? Leave behind any illegitimate children? _"Oh I'm well. Busy busy you know. How are you? How's Boston right?" "I'm fine. Boston is..great. I'm just here for a consult." Cristina replied coolly. Emma smiled. "Oh good. I'm sure we could use you. Have a good night." She said cheerfully. Cristina frowned, suddenly losing her appetite. She stood up, her voice hushed. "I know, okay? You have NO idea what you just threw away. NO IDEA. You make me sick." Cristina practically spat, utterly disgusted by Emma's presence. She got up and walked away, annoyed at Emma and also annoyed that she wasn't hungry anymore. Well she did nab her sandwich which was a plus. Cristina glanced back as she walked away, seeing Emma's wide open mouth before she left. She decided it was a perfect opportunity to find the coffee carts.

"You...You don't know what it was like Cristina." She suddenly called, her sneakered feet catching up to her. " I had to. I _had _to." Emma said, trying desperately to find a way to defend her decision. It wasn't that she wasn't aware of how awful it was to do that but she was on the brink of madness and she couldn't stay any longer. Cristina stopped in her tracks and turned around. "No, I don't know what it was like for you to be with someone...someone that loved you unconditionally. Someone that took care of you and someone with a huge heart. Owen...You can't just..." What was she trying to say? You shouldn't walk away from him? Cristina recalled doing the very same thing except for one little factor. She wasn't a mother as well. Cristina did it for Owen, not for any sort of selfish reason. "You can't throw him away and you damn well can't throw that kid away." "Excuse me? You threw him away if I recall and I picked up his pieces." Emma spat back, clearly annoyed. "I didn't throw Owen away. I had to let him go so he could be happy and get the things I couldn't give him. Don't you fucking talk to me about what's good for him when you left purely for your own selfish reasons!" Cristina yelled back. Maybe it wasn't her place to get into this fight with her but that man made her do crazy things. She practically stomped away. Cristina wished in that moment she was at Sloan Memorial and that she could retreat to the one place in the hospital that she felt absolutely safe. She sighed and headed outside, standing outside their ambulance bay and found a bench. Cristina sat down and put her head in her hands.


	3. Chapter 3 - Cling and Clatter

Chapter Three – Cling and Clatter

It was the third time that week that Owen found himself at the store, standing in the same isle as Cristina. It went from not seeing each other for 4 solid years to nearly every day. It certainly didn't help with them living next to each other in the same freaking apartment building. How it had all happened Owen wasn't entirely sure and, if he was honest, he wasn't entirely sure he was upset about it. Owen still loved her. There was no question there at all. He knew it and hell, she probably knew it. It wasn't something you just got over, not with her. Owen had come to the conclusion they wouldn't happen ever again and he was at peace with it. Regardless, she was clearly back in his life and he had to get used to it again. "I feel like you're stalking me." Owen joked as he grabbed a box of cereal and tossed it in his cart. Cristina laughed. "Yeah right. I can sense your icy blue eyes staring at me. I don't blame you really. Look at me." She smirked and grabbed some cereal too. How she had managed to move all the way back to Seattle and into the apartment next to her ex was beyond her. It was as though he was everywhere now. Cristina supposed that at least she didn't see him at work. That was about the only saving grace at that point. They joked back and forth as they usually did and went about their ways.

Owen found their interactions bizarre. Having such an intense relationship with her and basically diminishing the person to an acquaintance. He had to push her out of his mind. Owen shook his head as he drove home with his groceries. He found his spot and got out, grabbing his bags and heading inside. Owen walked up the hallway and found their door, unlocking it and coming in. "Okay, I've got everything for supper." He managed to say before he had Lily wrapped around his leg. "Hey Lily Bean!" Owen said cheerfully, scooping her up in his arms. "Dadda I midd you." "I missed you too! Hey, thanks for picking her up by the way." He said to Meredith who was sitting on the couch with Zola and Bailey. "No problem. I was done early anyway. How's your patient?" "Stable. I got one of my residents on it. Hopefully he stays that way." Owen replied, taking things out of the bags and turning on the oven. "I ran into Cristina again at the store. You and her going to go out at some point? I can only assume now that the other half of the twisted sisters is back in town that tequila might get involved." He said smirking a bit as he started chopping some ingredients up. Meredith frowned. "I don't know...I mean the kids and who knows if she even you know, likes me anymore." She sort of figured Cristina had up and moved on and didn't need her anymore.

Owen frowned. "I'm sure she does...You know how she is. She just has trouble expressing it." At least he hoped that was the case. They both knew how separate their lives were now. Owen was grateful for the friendship he had with Meredith though. She had been there through a lot with him and he was happy about that. Owen hoped she considered him a close friend as well and he supposed she must have or she wouldn't have agreed to move in with him. They had had some good times together. 3 Christmas's. 6 birthdays between the two of them and 3 Thanksgiving's. Owen enjoyed this unconventional relationship they had. That wasn't to say he didn't hope that Derek would come around again because he did. Owen wanted them to be as happy as they had been years ago. Hopefully Derek would realize such a drastic move wasn't worth the distance. At least they were trying to make it work.

He finished up dinner while the rest of the household set the table. Owen set it out and they all sat down. Just as he was about to eat, he heard a soft knock at the door. Owen got up and walked over to the door and opened it, surprised to see Cristina standing there. "Hey, I know you guys are eating but would you mind giving me some of your coffee. I realized when I got home, I had none and there's no way I can function tomorrow if I don't have any." She stood there nervously, shifting her weight on each of her feet while she waited for Owen to answer. "Oh yeah, of course." He said with a smile. "You hungry? We've got plenty of food." Owen offered, digging in the cupboard for the coffee. "Beans or ground?" He asked her, his head still in the cupboard. "Ground is fine. Uhh I don't want to bother you guys while you eat." Was her hasty reply. "You wouldn't bother us. Would she Mer?" Owen called to her, raising his eyebrows. She raised her eyebrows back at him. "No. Seriously Cristina. Stay. You may as well get to know the kids." Cristina couldn't say no to free food and dutifully accepted the invitation. "Auntie Tina!" Zola said with a grin on her face. "You've been gone." Cristina nodded. "I know. I'm here now though." "You staying?" Zola asked, pouting a bit. "I don't know yet. It really depends on how my job goes. And wooha, Bailey! Look how big you are!" Bailey grinned at her. "I know!" "You're almost as tall as Owen!" "I knoow! I mid even be bigger dan him lader." "You might." Watching Cristina interact with her children was heartwarming. Not that Meredith would ever use that word. That was one of those words that Hallmark used or those soccer Mums or something.

But it was adorable though.

Owen had mixed feelings. He was the one that invited her in the first place and yet looking at her sitting at their table laughing and smiling was a bit much. 4 years and she still had that affect on him. "Excuse me for a moment." Owen said with a smile before getting up. He headed towards the bathroom and closed the door. Owen sighed heavily, leaning on the counter and stared into the mirror. He was so annoyed by the way he was feeling and he just wanted to get away. Owen washed his face and finally came out. Cristina was in a deep conversation with Lily about princesses which caused a small smile to erupt on his face.

"You want to go out?" Meredith said suddenly, looking over at Cristina and clearly taking her by surprise. "...Are..you sure? I mean the kids.." Cristina began awkwardly. "I can take care of them." Owen said smiling. "Have fun. You guys need to catch up." The two women looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure. Okay. Let's finish eating though." Cristina said as she put some more food in her mouth. "I would never dream of taking food away from you." Owen said with a smirk. Cristina hit him. "Food is important Owen." He laughed and held his hands up in defeat. "True. Very true."

They ate and Cristina headed back to her apartment to get ready. Meredith milled around the apartment, picking an outfit and putting a bit of make up on. Owen wondered how the outing would go. He hoped that they could reconnect in some level and at least be friends again even if they couldn't be sisters again. "Have a good time." Owen called to Meredith from the floor were he was kneeling. He was playing princesses with Zola and Lily. Bailey was next to them, however, playing with some cars.

Meredith kissed her kids goodbye and waved at Owen as she left. She stood in the hallway and was shortly met by Cristina. "Are you sure this is alright?" Cristina asked, slightly unsure if making her leave her children was a good idea. "Of course. Owen's in there playing princesses with them. He doesn't mind. The girls say I do it wrong which is why he does it all the time." Cristina laughed. Owen was made to be a parent. What she wouldn't give to see if he was dressed up at all. They headed to Joe's and sat down at the bar. It was a bit busy but the hospital crowd hadn't fully arrived yet. "Tequila for old time sake and then whatever after that." Meredith suggested, immediately ordering some shots. Cristina picked her shot up and tossed it back, down her throat. It burned a bit but it reminded her of simpler days. "So why did you leave?" Meredith asked suddenly, setting the shot glass down and looked at Cristina. "Why did you finally decide to go?" Cristina was slightly taken back by the question, not really wanting to answer it. She assumed it was old news by now. "Because..." Cristina began. "You know, can we not do this now?" "Come on. I want to know. Tell me. I have a right to know. Was it Owen?" Meredith asked, now sipping the rum and coke she'd gotten. Cristina sighed heavily. This was not how she had picked the night going. How was she supposed to explain the most complicated and hard decision of her life?

"Mer...I left because you and Owen moved on from me. You had your family and he had Emma. I couldn't stay...I couldn't...watch that. I had to get as far away from here as I could." Cristina explained, sipping her own drink. Sure she had told Owen to move on but watching it happen was an entirely different experience. "I needed my best friend." Meredith said sadly, looking at Cristina square in the eyes. "I needed you when Derek left for Washington and you weren't there. Owen was a disaster when Emma left. We've sort of clung to each other for support and I mean it's great we've got each other but I missed you. I wish you'd called or emailed or something." Now that was something to be guilty about. Cristina hadn't really contacted any of them that much while she was away. She'd been so busy and she just felt they were better without her. Cristina ran a hand through her hair and sighed heavily. Her and Mer had both sort of hurt each other and hadn't even talked about it. Friends were supposed to do that and they just neglected it because they thought they hadn't needed to. "I'm sorry." Cristina finally said, breaking the silence. "I couldn't watch the love of my life with her.." Meredith sighed too and sipped her drink. "I'm sorry too. I should have found time for you...And honestly, I'm glad they broke up. I'm glad she left. Emma was a bitch anyway." Cristina nodded in approval and clinked her glass with Mer's.

"I just don't get it. She was the one. She wanted the kids. She was domestic. She loved him. He's Owen. He's the guy that insists on making breakfast on Sunday mornings and that we had to spend the day in our pajamas because Sunday was the lazy day. Or how he'd tell a really stupid joke and laugh about it all day. His eccentric taste in music...Oh god. I can't believe I remember all that. God Mer. Why did I date him? Why did I marry him for that matter?" Cristina asked her, putting her head in her hands. Meredith smirked. "Because you loved him." Cristina groaned. "Ugh Mer. I still do. Every day. All the time." Meredith laughed. "God you two. You know he loves you still. I don't understand why you guys don't just make it work. Neither of you are going to be happy without the other anyway." "Shut up Mer." Cristina replied, annoyance clear in her voice. "You're just mad I have a point." Cristina downed her drink and ordered another one. "Well it doesn't matter now. It's too late." Meredith sighed. Maybe her friend was right. Maybe it was too late. Owen had Lily now and she was his first priority, not to mention that Cristina didn't want to be a mother. "Another round of shots please." Meredith said, looking up at the bartender.

A/n: I'm entirely sure Emma is a perfectly nice person but apparently I've turned her into a horrible human being. I'm not sorry.


	4. Chapter 4 - Reach

Chapter Four - Reach

It started with a cough.

A thorn bush growing inside of his throat, scratching at the tender flesh every time he breathed. He'd breathe, it would agitate the thorns and he'd cough. A constant process which annoyed Owen to no end. It was light at first, occasionally popping up but it gradually got worse until he took himself off surgery. Owen spent most of his time in his office knowing being around patients was obviously a bad idea. He scribbled down some notes on a chart, popping a cough drop into his mouth. Owen winced a little at the taste but soldiered through it anyway. It was just a cough drop anyway. He coughed a couple more times and finally closed the chart. He felt a little off and decided he'd try sleeping a bit in the on-call room. Owen pushed his chair out and stood up. He left the office and headed down the catwalk and eventually found a room. Owen shut the door and laid down on one of the beds. Of course the moment he did, he just coughed. He sighed heavily and sat up. Owen ran a hand through his hair and dug into his bag, grabbing some medicine. Hopefully it would help him sleep. Sleep had been alluding him lately but the past couple of nights, the medicine he'd found managed to knock him out. Eventually he fell asleep. A quick nap.

2 hours later Owen woke up. "Shit.." He said as he picked his phone up and noticed the time. Owen sat up and rubbed his face, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He got up and grabbed his things, yawning and headed out of the room. Owen headed over to the daycare to take Lily home. "Dadda!" She said cheerfully as she got up from the drawing she was doing. Lily hugged his legs and smiled. "Hey Lily Bean. How was daycare?" "Gooood! I do pidure!" She ran back to her drawing and picked it up, showing Owen. She was standing there with him dressed as a princess. "Wow! That's-" Cough cough. "Great." Lily frowned. "I wid you nod sid dadda." "I wish I wasn't either." Owen stroked her little cheek and kissed the top of her head. "Okay, let's go home." He grabbed her jacket and got it on her. Owen took her little hand and they left. He stopped part way in the parking lot and coughed a couple more times. This cough was kicking his ass and he wasn't appreciating it. Owen barely got sick but when he did, it was never half way. Even though he slept for 2 hours, he felt like he could go right back to bed. Lily frowned and hugged his leg. Once he stopped, he thanked her and they got in the truck. Owen drove them home and they headed to the apartment.

"Oh my god Mer, you are amazing." Owen said as he saw her busily making supper. "I was dreading the idea of doing it." She waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. You always cook and I wanted to. Now sit down on the couch." He helped Lily out of her jacket and they headed over to the couch. "You're being very domestic." Owen called to her with a smirk on his face. "Shut up. I cook sometimes..." Owen raised his eyebrows. "Okay, barely but you like doing it and I didn't want to take that away from you." Meredith replied, holding up her finger. Owen laughed. "I don't mind...God we're weird." He said suddenly, laughing a bit. "We're practically a couple except that...you're sort of the sister I never had." "I thought you had a sister." "I like you more." Owen said laughing and coughing. "Oh god. How long as this been? DAYS?" "Owen, Clearly you like me more. Look at me. Secondly, you've been sick for three days. Deal with it you big baby." Meredith replied laughing as she stirred the stir fry in the pan. "Okay...I think it's done." She said, looking down at the pan with some hesitance. "You want me to look?" Owen offered, raising his eyebrows again. Meredith bit her lip and thought. "Okay." He got up from the couch, making sure Lily was occupied and walked into the kitchen. Owen looked down at the pan and nodded. "It's good. Where are the kids?" He asked realizing the apartment was nearly empty. "Well apparently Derek is visiting and he's taking the kids for the night. Whatever. Let's eat." "Do..we want to talk about this?" Owen asked hesitantly. "No. I'd rather live under a pile of avoidance right now." Meredith replied, annoyed that she was once again faced with dealing with her marriage that was basically non-existent at that point. Derek was the love of her life and she wanted it to work so bad. It was just aggravating and she just felt that they'd gone through their bad times already. They were supposed to be enjoying themselves and growing old, not fighting and living in different cities.

"It'll work out. You and Derek have gone through too much to end things now." Owen said, trying to reassure her. He did have faith in them. "Yeah and so did you and Cristina and look at you guys now." Meredith snapped back. The moment it left her mouth she bit her lip. "Sorry. I get bitchy when I haven't gotten in laid in 6 months." Owen shook his head. "Maybe you'll get used to it. I did. It's been a year and a half." "That long? I doubt you're used to it Owen. No one gets used to it." Meredith replied, spooning the food onto three plates. They took their plates to the couch and set them on the coffee table. Lily immediately started eating her food. "Well..I mean I'm not used to it but I deal with it. I do what I need to do you know." Owen replied raising his eyebrows at her. Meredith lowered her voice. "Well at least you're getting off somehow. I can't imagine what you're like if you didn't even do that." She said with a smirk on her face. Owen shook his head but laughed. "Oh, how was your night last night by the way? I was going to ask you this morning before work but you were still asleep." "It was...good. Really good. It felt like before." Meredith replied with a smile as she ate. Maybe she would get her sister back after all. Owen smiled too. "That's great! Seriously, it is." He hesitated for a moment. "So..is she staying after this week or...do you know?" Meredith raised her eyebrows as she ate. "I don't know. I think...I think she's still thinking about it. She still loves you, you know." Owen nodded. "I know she does. And I'm sure she still knows I love her too." "She does." Owen ate the rest of this food and took Lily's plate. "Dadda, whad does lobe mean?" Lily asked with wide eyes. Owen put the plates in the dishwasher and came back. "Love means to care a lot about someone. I love you." Owen said hugging her and kissing the top of her head. "I lobe you Dadda." He smiled down at her and hugged her again. "There's two kinds of love. There's my love for you. And then there's the love that Auntie Callie has for Auntie Zona." "Ooooooooooo." Lily was clearly interested in the idea but she didn't quite get yet that Owen loved that dark haired woman that had been over the last couple of days.

Owen started to cough again. He got up and headed into the bathroom to grab some more medicine. "I feel like your cough sounds worse." Meredith called to him, a frown on her face. "I know..*cough cough*...As long as I can sleep tonight, I'm good." He walked back out and sat down again. "At least neither of you are sick." "So far...Just don't kiss me or anything." Owen laughed. "I'll try not to." He coughed again, laughing was no help. "Andie, cand you made Dadda bedder?" Lily asked, looking up at Meredith. Meredith frowned. "No, sorry sweetie. I can't. Operating won't help. He's taking medicine though so that should help." Lily nodded, hoping it would too. She hugged her Dad. Owen hugged her back. "I think it's time for some ice cream." He said suddenly, getting up. "Yaaay!" Lily said cheerfully. Just as she said that, someone knocked at the door and opened it. Derek stood there with Bailey and Zola. "We're back." He said cheerfully enough. Derek cast a look over at Owen. Owen knew full well what he thought of their living situation but Owen didn't care. They were supporting each other not sleeping together. Well sometimes in the literal sense but they weren't having sex. He understood the unease but he wasn't terribly sorry for it. He wasn't the one who was married and was living in another city.

"Owen." Derek said finally greeting him. Owen nodded at him. "Derek." He got up and headed into the kitchen to get them some ice cream. "You guys want ice cream?" Owen asked, looking at Zola and Bailey. "YAAAYYY! Please!" They both said excitedly. He herded the kids into the kitchen away from their parents.

"I can't believe you're still living with him." Derek hissed to Meredith. She shook her head at Derek. "You know full why we live together Derek. Don't start putting guilt trips on me! I'm not the one living in another city away from my children and my WIFE." Meredith snapped back angrily. They bickered back and forth before finally finishing the conversation. Derek turned on his heels and left. Meredith headed back to the couch and crossed her arms. Owen noticed and got her a bowl of ice cream too. "Here." He said, handing her the bowl. "You look like you could use that." "I could use a bottle of tequila." Meredith replied, scooping some of the ice cream up and eating it. Owen laughed. "Well ice cream is what you get...How's Derek?" He asked hesitantly. Owen knew their little conversation they had hadn't been friendly. Meredith groaned. "It's the same freaking thing every time. Zola, quit bugging your brother." She turned her attention back to Owen. "He's pissed we live together and he keeps telling me this job he's in is the right thing to do blah blah blah. It's annoying and I hate it. I just need to tell him it's me or the job." "Easier said than done." "Exactly. Hence my over eating of this ice cream. Don't be surprised if I wake up in the night and eat the whole carton." "No judgement from me." Owen said holding his hands up. "When Emma left, that's all I did." "I know! And you barely gained any weight. Makes me hate you." He laughed before coughing a couple of times. "God. This needs to go." Owen said frowning, rubbing his throat a bit. "Maybe you should take some time off work." Meredith suggested to him. Owen laughed and then promptly coughed. "Don't make me laugh. How impossible. We don't take time off no matter how sick we are. We're doctors."

Meredith nodded. "I know. Thought I'd give it a try." As the night progressed, Owen started to get really tired. It was 9 o'clock and the kids had been in bed for an hour. "Night Mer." He said standing up suddenly. "Night." She replied, frowning at how sick he was obviously getting. This cold they both thought he'd get over in no time seemed to be getting worse. Owen headed into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and took some more medicine. He dragged himself into his bedroom and changed into some sweats and a t-shirt, grabbing his hoodie and putting it over top. Owen turned the light off and crawled into bed. He sighed. Owen coughed a bit from laying down but ultimately the medication knocked him out.

It was 2am when he woke up again. Owen coughed a couple of times and sat up. He coughed some more and decided to get up and grab some water. Owen slowly headed into the kitchen and grabbed a cup. He opened the freezer and grabbed some ice, plopping some into the cup. Owen turned on the tap and filled it with some water. He had a bit of a coughing fit in the kitchen and tried to pick his glass up. Owen tried to grasp it and watched himself drop it on the floor, not able to hold it properly. He leaned against the counter and sighed, wondering how he was going to muster up enough energy to clean it up. "Owen?" He heard a voice say. Owen looked up and saw Meredith standing there, half asleep with a concerned expression on her face. "Oh..I..just dropped my glass." He said, hoping she would just go back to bed. Meredith, instead, walked over to him. "You're shaking." "It's...fine. I'm just cold." "But you're sweating." Meredith got him to stand back and she cleaned up the mess, despite the pleading for her to just go back to bed. She was in full mother mode. Meredith headed into the bathroom for a moment and came back with a thermometer. "Open your mouth." Owen did what he was told and she stuck it under his tongue. Finally the thing beeped.

"103! Owen! Sit your ass down on the couch." Meredith commanded. Owen felt a little dizzy as he headed towards the couch. She took his arm and helped him onto it. She paced, biting her lip. 103 was not nothing at all. Meredith finally decided taking him to the hospital to get the fever down might be the best option. Of course the kids were an issue. She tried calling Derek but he didn't answer. Owen's Mum was out of town. Meredith bit her lip again and headed into the hallway. She knocked on Cristina's door. Meredith heard groaning and eventually the door opened. "What?" Cristina said grumpily. Being woken up at 2am was not her cup of tea. "Cristina, I know this might be asking too much but could you possibly watch our kids? Owen's got a high fever and I need to take him to the hospital. Sorry, it's late. I'm sorry. Go back to bed." Meredith said and turned to leave. "Wait...How..how about I take Owen. You can stay and look after the kids." "Are...are you sure?" Meredith said, raising her eyebrows at her friend. "Yeah. It's fine. Seriously." Cristina replied. Cristina couldn't quite believe she was saying those words but it was Owen. She'd stop the world for him. "let me just get my coat." Cristina grabbed her coat and some shoes. She headed over to their apartment. Owen was sitting on the couch in his coat. He looked paler than usual and he was shaking. "Shit." Cristina said, the word tumbling out of her mouth without meaning to. "Sorry..." Owen shrugged. "It's..." Cough. Cough. Cough. "...okay. I look like shit." He tried to stand without help and nearly fell over. Cristina and Meredith helped him up. Owen grasped Cristina's arm and they eventually left. She helped him out to her car and got him in. "I'm sorry." Owen said as she got in next to him. "It's fine. You can't exactly help your current state." "I know but I mean you just came back here for work and we're dragging you into our lives again." Cristina got quiet. "Owen...I'm moving here." Owen's eyes widened at her admission. "Really?" Cough cough. "Yeah."

Owen slept the rest of the way after telling him she was moving there. It was too much work to be awake right now.


	5. Chapter 5 - I know you care

Chapter Five – I know you care

Owen laid on one of the hospital bed with an IV in his arm. He was fast asleep, exhausted by the whole ordeal and his fever. April of all people had been working in the ER at the time when Cristina brought him in. She was shocked to see Owen but more shocked to see Cristina whom she hadn't heard from in 4 years. April was both annoyed but sort of happy to see her. She instead directed her energy towards Owen who looked like hell. "What's wrong with him?" "He's got a fever of 103. I think he's got the flu. He's been coughing constantly, he's weak, sweaty and shaky." Cristina replied, helping Owen into the hospital and onto a bed.

"What are you doing here?" April asked, a frown on her face. She wasn't hiding her distaste for the situation. Cristina sighed. "I'm here for work. I got called for a consult at Seattle Pres and the place they set me up in is the same building as Mer and Owen." April nodded. Of course work had brought her back. It was always about work. "Look," Cristina began, holding her hand up. "I might be staying after all but I don't know. I'm sorry I wasn't good at staying in touch but I'm here now...How are you?" "I'm okay. Jackson and I are getting married." "Oh are you? Wow. That's good. I mean it'll obviously go better than the last one..." Cristina found herself plagued with a bit of word vomit. "Yeah...I'm just going to go and get Hunt another blanket..." April said, quickly leaving.

Cristina frowned but she didn't care too much what April thought. She turned back to Owen who was still fast asleep. Cristina still hating seeing him ill. Mind you, she'd only seen him ill a couple of other times and one of which involved her being ill as well. He was so pale and he looked miserable. She supposed his saving grace was that he was actually asleep.

At least for a little while.

Owen woke up an hour later, having a coughing fit. He wondered how much of his lung was gone and whether he could live with one and a half lungs. Owen was a little embarrassed that Cristina was there with him, assuming she had better things to do than take her flu ridden ex-husband to the hospital. "You don't have to stay..." He said quietly to her. "I'm sorry you..*cough cough* had to get up for that. It's not my place to get you to do that." Cristina frowned. "Owen, I wanted to drive you. Don't worry about it. Really." She said, running her hand through his hair. It was such an automatic thing to do when she was around him. Even after all these years, she was still doing it. Owen closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. He was too sick to protest and let her do it. God he had missed her hands on him. Even something as simple as running her fingers through his hair brought back a lot of old feelings and memories of a time when they were both happy as anything. Owen missed her. He always had and seeing her here, at his bedside, caring for him only made his heart continue to yearn for her once again. It was a familiar feeling for him, one that he wasn't entirely pleased was happening. She would be gone soon and he would once again be without her. He wouldn't say his heart would break all over again but it would certainly hurt a bit.

Owen was stuck there for 3 days. His fever spiked on the second day to 103.9. Thankfully, it was going down slowly and by the third day, while he wasn't anywhere near being better, he didn't need to be there anymore. Cristina helped him up and out of bed, while he insisted he dress himself. Owen got on his sweats and hoodie and got into the wheelchair. Cristina pushed him down the hall and into the elevator. She had literally visited him every day he was there. Cristina wasn't entirely sure what compelled her to do so but she supposed she couldn't break their connection completely. She had definitely thought about him a lot before hand. "Are you sure you should be going home?" Cristina asked tentatively as she pushed him out of the elevator. "I don't need to take up a bed and my fever is...*cough cough cough* down to 101." That wasn't to say he didn't still sound wretched because he did. Cristina frowned but she didn't argue. They rode the elevator to the lobby and pushed Owen to the front door and outside. She helped him up and got him into her car. He sat there quietly as she got into the car and started to drive away. The radio blaring some top 40 hit. Owen just wanted to get home so he could see his daughter again and lay down. He glanced out the window, staring at everything as they went by. "Thank you." Owen said suddenly, breaking the silence between them. "You really didn't have to stay and visit and drive me there and back but you did." He bit his lip as he tried to find the right words to say. "I've missed you. Every minute of every day since you left. Even when I was with..Emma..I missed you."

The words tumbled out of his mouth much to Owen's annoyance. He hadn't intended to outright tell her that but he had. Owen wondered how awkward he'd made the car ride now and whether he might see her again or not. Cristina was rather surprised by Owen's sudden confession but because the love of her life just told her he missed her, her heart skipped a beat. "I..missed you too." She finally said, turning her face towards him at the red light. "It wasn't easy. I didn't want to leave but I had to." Owen nodded, knowing why. They were difficult times and now it was just complicated. "But...I've decided to stay. I need a break." Owen's eyes widened as she spoke, various emotions crossing his face. "You're staying?" He asked her, trying to make sense of what she'd said. Was he hearing things? Did he sound as relieved as he had tried not to be? Cristina kind of smiled. "Yes. I've gone on a leave of absence from my other job." Owen tried hard. He really did. The last thing he wanted to do was suddenly envision the two of them rekindling their relationship. Every time they had tried to make it work, it hadn't and he couldn't put himself through it again and he doubted she wanted to do the same. Besides, he had Lily to think about. She needed him and he couldn't turn his back on her.

They were quiet the rest of the way. Cristina helped Owen out of the car and grabbed his things. They headed inside and down the hall where Meredith was waiting. They helped Owen into the apartment and into his bedroom. Lily was beside herself. Sure she'd visited her Dad at the hospital but he was home now. She crawled onto his bed and hugged him gently. Owen was so happy to see her too. "I missed you Lily Bean. I know I saw you yesterday but this is much better." "Yesssss! Oooh! I made you someting Dadda." She said, crawling off the bed and running away for a moment. Owen could hear her rustling in her room before coming back. She crawled back on the bed and placed a sparkly purple crown on his head. "Now you pincess and id made you bedder." He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm certainly going to try and I know the crown is going to help." Owen was tired but he wanted to stay up with her for a little while. Lily kissed her Dad's cheek and crawled off the bed again. She went over to the dvd player and popped one of her movies in. Owen always loved watching her do it. He had showed her step by step how to turn it on and put a movie on and he could see her repeating the steps to herself and holding the disc with two hands so she wouldn't get finger prints on it. It was adorable to say the least.

Lily crawled back on the bed and cuddled up to Owen while they watched Despicable Me. Of course a short time later, Owen was fast asleep. Lily continued to watch it and eventually fell asleep too.

Meredith had managed to keep Cristina there. They were sitting on the couch drinking coffee and chatting about everything. "How's Seattle Pres?" She asked Cristina, sipping her coffee and setting it down on the table. Meredith grabbed a cookie and nibbled away on it. She'd found some frozen cookie dough Owen had made earlier and immediately baked most of it, eating some of it raw against her better judgement. "Fine. The case is under control and the patient should be able to leave in the next week. I..uhh took a leave of absence from my job in Boston. I think I might come back." Cristina said, looking down at her coffee, unsure if she wanted to see Meredith's face right then. "Really?!" Meredith replied, a smile spreading across her face. She frowned immediately afterwards realizing it might be foolish to get so overly happy. "Yeah. I realized I'd forgotten some things and Boston is far away and..my family is here." Cristina shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Meredith grinned. "I'm going to hug you again." Meredith warned, wrapping her arms around Cristina while Cristina herself patted Mer's back. She finally let herself relax and hugged her friend back.

Cristina sat there quietly. A thought was running through her mind about a certain red haired man that lay several feet away in his bedroom. God she'd missed him. His smell, the way his lips tasted, the way it felt to be held in his arms. It annoyed her to no end that she continued to feel these feelings even after all these years. While she knew that the likelihood of them ever getting back together was slim to none. They didn't work and that was that. Meredith noticed her unease and frowned. "What is it?" She asked, hesitantly. Meredith sipped her coffee and held it in her hands. Cristina looked up from staring down at her own coffee with wide eyes. "Oh..Uh. Nothing. I'm fine. Just nothing. How's Derek?" Meredith sighed. "He's...difficult. I just don't know what to do anymore. It's not like I haven't convinced him to come home and I'm damn well not moving to Washington. The kids need him. Zola keeps asking me when Daddy is coming home and freaking Bailey probably doesn't even remember him." Meredith ran a hand through her long blonde hair and sighed heavily. "Owen thinks I should give him an ultimatum and maybe he's right. I mean how does this even make sense? I'm living with another man while my husband goes off and betters his career! You know and he even has the guts to get annoyed at me for it! Can you believe it?! He was asking.." Meredith lowers her voice so her kids don't wake up from her yelling and hear her, as well as Owen and Lily. "He was asking me if I was screwing Owen! Unbelievable." Cristina kind of laughed. "...have you though? You know...screwed him?" She raised her eyebrows at her friend. "I won't judge." Meredith shook her head. "No. I'm not a cheater. Tempting but no."

Cristina was secretly pleased. While she knew it was selfish, even thinking about Owen with another woman made her ill. Having to deal with him and Emma had been awful and thankfully she'd left before it had gotten serious. Coming back and finding out they'd broken up had made her unexpectedly happy. She was a bag of mixed emotions and would likely be for the rest of her time.

Cristina heard Owen wake up and have a coughing fit. He sat up in bed and stared over at his sleeping daughter. Owen slowly got up from bed, leaning against the wall, bracing himself as he headed out of his room and to the bathroom. He sat down on the toilet lid and coughed. Owen gasped for breath before it finally subsided. How he was going to muster the strength to get back to bed was beyond him. Instead, he dug in the cabinet for something to take. He felt like he hadn't slept at all but he'd only been awake for about 4 hours or so, if that. Owen found some medication, popped it into his mouth and swallowed. He sighed and shivered. "What are you doing?" Cristina asked, poking her head around the corner. Owen looked up. "Oh...I woke up. I didn't want to wake Lily." "You want to come and sit with Mer and I?" She asked, standing in the doorway, leaning her hand against the door frame. Owen thought about it. "Okay." He stood up and she took his arm. Cristina helped him down the hallway and eventually got him on the other couch. " You look like crap Owen." Meredith commented, a small smirk spreading across her face as she sipped her coffee. Owen smiled. "I feel like it. I haven't been this sick...*cough cough* in ages. I guess I was due." "Cristina wanted to know why we haven't had sex." Meredith said with laughter in her voice. Owen laughed too. "I made it a point not to sleep with married women no matter how much I dislike their spouse." Cristina was rather taken back by their banter back and forth and it was clear the relationship they had had when she had left was entirely different. She had had an idea with the fact that they had lived together but this was different.

"How are you feeling?" Meredith asked him. "I feel awful." Owen replied, running his hands over his face. "I'm wide awake for some reason but I feel awful. I don't think I've ever been this sick before." Awful might have been an understatement. Owen looked horrible, like he might keel over any time. He certainly felt that way His only saving grace was his fever was done a couple of degrees. Owen tried to tell himself that he should be thankful but it did little to cause such a reaction. He sat there for a little while longer before finally feeling himself surrender to fatigue. Owen said goodnight even though it was the middle of the day and went back to bed.

Cristina spent a little while longer there before finally leaving. She headed back to her apartment and stood in the middle of it. Cristina got a look on her face and grabbed her purse and headed out. She drove to the grocery store and headed inside. Cristina grabbed a basket and bit her lip as she googled "Chicken soup" on her phone. It seemed easy enough but Cristina didn't cook. The most complicated thing she'd never cooked was eggs and she'd managed to get shell in them. Clearly this was going to be a task and a half. She found every ingredient she needed and eventually left. Cristina made a note to herself and grabbed some wine just in case it didn't work out well. She headed back to her apartment and immediately got to work. Cristina cut the chicken up and started chopping the vegetables while she heated up her pot. It didn't seem so bad. She tossed the chicken into the pot where it immediately started burning. "Shit shit!" Cristina shouted, finding the switch on the stove and turning it down. She eventually tossed the vegetables into the pot and seasoned it. So far so good. Nothing was burning now. Cristina was rather pleased as it seemed to be coming together. "This isn't so bad..." She muttered to herself, adding the broth and the rest of the seasoning. Cristina grabbed the pasta and tossed it in. She stirred it around for a bit, boiling it to get the pasta cooked.

Everything seemed okay. Up until she looked down and noticed she'd boiled away most of the broth. She added some water, figuring that might work but it just tasted odd. Cristina frowned at her pot of failed soup. "STUPID SOUP!" She yelled before grabbing the bottle of wine and opening it, taking a swig from the bottle. Cooking was not her forte. Ask her to perform complicated heart surgery and she was your woman. Ask her to make fucking soup for her ex-husband and it just wouldn't happen. She finally managed to calm down and just ordered some chicken soup from a place down the street. It had been a couple of hours and she hoped that Owen was awake otherwise it might be a bit awkward. She knew she was going to get 3rd degree from Meredith but somehow he was worth that. Cristina grabbed the container and headed next door, tapping lightly on the door. Meredith opened the door and smiled. "You brought me soup?" She asked, with a puzzled look on her face. "No. I brought...I brought Owen soup." Cristina finally said, mumbling a bit. "Is..he awake?" Meredith nodded at her and let her in. Cristina shuffled across the floor in her slippers and knocked lightly on his door. "Come in." She heard him say quietly. Cristina pushed open the door. "Hey. I...Uh... brought you some soup." Owen was rather surprised to see her but he was happy none the less. "Did you? You didn't have to but thank you." "I wanted to." She came over to the edge of the bed and set it on his night stand. Owen sat up in bed and smiled a bit at her. They were both quiet.

"You brought me soup. What does this mean?" Owen asked her, raising his eyebrows a bit. Cristina huffed. "Nothing. I just wanted to bring you soup." He continued to raise his eyebrows at her. "You dutifully drove me to the hospital. You visited me and drove me home. You're bringing me soup...Cristina...we broke up for a reason." Owen seemed sort of upset by his own words, a deep set frown on his face. Cristina frowned too. "Well...can't I just bring you soup and not have it be over analyzed?" "You and I don't do things for no reason. You know I still love you..even after all these years...Even when I was with...Emma...I still..." Owen confessed, a sad expression on his face. Cristina's face sort of fell when she looked at him. "I still love you too Owen. You know that. When I said I couldn't breathe without you, I meant it."

And once again, they began to complicate their situation.


End file.
